


LiS2 Short Stories

by ConorOberstFan



Category: Life Is Strange 2 (Video Game)
Genre: And Sean needs to hold him, Brotherly Bonding, Brotherly Love, Brothers, Comfort, Cuddles, Daniel needs to be held by Sean, Daniel's a tiny sweet baby, Fluff, I mean lots of cuddles, Often with cuddles, Sean & Daniel always supporting each other, Sean is the best big bro ever, Short & Sweet, Soft Diaz affection is the primary theme here, Theres a lot of cuddles here, They love each other so much, They're Always There For Each Other, Wholesome, best brothers ever, did i mention cuddles, hugs and kisses, very soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-03
Updated: 2020-12-03
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:40:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 20,651
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27860934
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ConorOberstFan/pseuds/ConorOberstFan
Summary: A collection of random LiS2 short stories about Sean & Daniel. This won't be updated regularly it's more of a random thing. It's mostly just fluff and random stories, nothing that special. Some of these will take place prior to game canon, some during, some after the endings, and some in totally alternate universes.
Relationships: Daniel Diaz & Sean Diaz
Kudos: 19





	1. Chapter 1

Sept 4th, 2016

It's a late Sunday night in the Diaz household, and Sean is watching an old favorite: The Day The Aliens Came, a weird classic horror flick from the 80s that he'd always strangely loved.

He had originally planned to go over to Lyla's and hang, but it was canceled since her mom didn't want any "shenanigans" on the day before school started in session.

So, since he had nothing else to do, he decided he might as well re-watch some old stuff.

Right as the "don't copy this movie or BAD THINGS will happen, VERY BAD THINGS will happen to YOU" warnings flashed on to the screen, Sean heard a door open, and considering the sound of the footsteps were quite soft and fast, he realized it must be his little brother.

"Sean!" He hears Daniel exclaim as he runs up to him. "What are you watching?" He asks.

"Dude, I thought your bedtime was 9. It's past 10:30," Sean says, matter of factly.

"Yeah, but…" Daniel says, trying to come up with a good reason. Well, he does come up with a _reason_.

"I, uh...wanted to get some food," Daniel says unconvincingly.

"In the middle of the night?" Sean questions.

"Um…"

"You know Dad doesn't want you to stay up this late, school starts tomorrow, dude," Sean says.

"Then why does he let you stay up this late?" Daniel asks, trying to conceal a pout.

"I'm older," Sean explains. "It's kinda...different."

"I don't get it," Daniel says. "Your school is a bigger deal, right? So why does it matter less if you sleep enough than me?"

"It's kind of hard to explain. But you should get to bed. You don't want to be known as the tired kid on the first day, trust me, I know, dude," Sean says jokingly.

"Well, I...I remembered how you said that you were gonna watch a movie tonight, and I just- I'm kinda worried about having to go to school again, so I thought, maybe we could watch it together--I mean, I think it would be nice," Daniel says shyly.

"Daniel, this is kind of, like, a scary movie and I don't know--do you remember the last time we watched a scary movie?" Sean reminded him.

"Well, yeah," Daniel says sadly. "But that was a long time ago! I've grown up since then!"

"Dude, that was 3 months ago."

"Please, Sean? I just wanna do something fun before having to go to school again. Please?" Daniel says, looking at him with big doe eyes.

Sean isn't sure. On one hand, it would be pretty fun to watch this with Daniel, he's never seen it before. But also, it might scare him, Sean remembers the first time he ever saw it when he was a kid and having nightmares about being abducted by aliens for weeks. 

"Ok, you can watch," Sean says, patting a spot on the sofa, signaling Daniel to sit with him. "But if you get scared, remember you can look away. And if it's really bad, just tell me to turn it off and I will," he mentions as he pulls his blanket over Daniel.

Sean gets up and heads to the kitchen. "I'm gonna get a bowl of ice cream, do you want some?" He asks.

"Yeah," Daniel responds.

Sean comes back with 2 bowls of vanilla ice cream with chocolate syrup on and gives one to Daniel before grabbing the remote and pressing play.

"Thanks, Sean," Daniel says.

"No problem, dude."

# # #

After the brothers are finished watching the movie, Sean walks Daniel to his bedroom.

"Hey, Sean?" Daniel starts as Sean tucks him in bed. "I get it if you don't want to, but Dad always reads me bedtime stories right before bed, and I want to ask, uh…"

"Didn't he read you one earlier? When you were meant to go to bed?" Sean asks neutrally.

"Yeah, but I didn't fall asleep, so...I get it if you don't want to, but it helps me fall asleep, and, uh...sorry."

"No, it's fine, dude. I'll read you something. What do you want me to read?" Sean asks, looking at the shelf of stories kept on the far side of Daniel's room. 

"Well, I was kinda thinking," he says. "Could you--make up a story?"

"I'm not a writer, dude," Sean declares. "But I can try. Get comfy."

"So, uh...once upon a time, there was a, a-a knight, who, he, this knight was the knight to a really strong king who had control of all the lands, and uh, this knight was very, very loyal to the king. He would fight, and uh, do, uh, knightly things for the king. But one day, a woman showed up, and she, uh, she was from the outer lands. No one knew where this lady came from. Some people thought she was a witch."

Daniel looks at him with big eyes.

"So the knight, he met the lady one day, and they got along pretty well, and she told him that the rumors were true. She was a witch. And she needed the knight's help."

"With what?" Daniel asks.

"I uh, I was getting to that, okay?" Sean replies.

"So, the witch, uh, she, um, so, she told the knight that she was actually the king's daughter. She was the princess. And she said that-"

"Wait! How did the knight know if she was actually the princess? What if she was lying?" Daniel questioned.

"Uh, she, uh, she looked a lot like the king."

"That's not a good explanation!" Daniel comments.

"Well, do you have a better one?" Sean asks.

"Uh, well, what if," Daniel furrows his brow to come up with something. "Ooh, what if the king had a special tattoo and so did the princess?"

"Uh, sure," Sean supposes. "Not sure how they got tattoos in medieval times, but," he mumbles. "That's not important," he softly laughs.

"So, anyway, uh, now the knight knew that she was the princess. And, uh, the princess told the knight that the reason she was in the outer lands was because her father kicked her out of the kingdom a long time ago. It turns out that the king was actually evil and the reason he had so much power was because he stole kids from their families and made them be knights for him."

"What?!" 

"Yeah, so, the king was really bad. But when the princess told the knight about this, he, uh, had a flashback. And he realized the king took _him_ when he was young to be a knight. So now the knight and the princess had teamed up, and they went to face the king. The knight and the princess broke into the castle and the knight, uh, struck the king with his sword, and the princess used her magic on the king, and together, they managed to defeat him. And the princess became the queen of the kingdom, and the knight was the, uh, top, uh, knight, to the queen, and they told the whole kingdom what happened years ago and they all worked hard to make the kingdom good again. It wasn't as powerful as it used to be, but they weren't hurting people for no reason anymore, so it was worth it. Uh, the end."

"Wait! But what happened to the king? Did he die?" Daniel speculates.

"Uh, the, no, the king, he, the old king was defeated and they sent him to jail, but when he served his time, he realized that the new kingdom was much nicer and he realized what he did was bad. He, uh, was just a normal guy then. Not the king. But he was good now. Now that's the end, cause I gotta get to bed, dude," Sean says, ruffling Daniel's hair and getting up to leave.

"Good night," Sean bids farewell.

"Good night. Thanks, Sean. Love you!" Daniel proclaims.

"Love you too, Daniel," Sean replies, starting to close the door to Daniel's room. "Sleep tight, little bro."


	2. Oh, You Are the Roots That Sleep Beneath My Feet and Hold the Earth in Place

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Whenever Daniel's hurting, Sean's always been there to comfort him. And Daniel wouldn't hesitate to provide Sean that same comfort when he needs it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: This chapter features descriptions of feelings of panic and anxiousness that may be triggering to some readers.

Dec 7, 2016

Sean & Daniel have been staying with their grandparents for a few days now, and their worries have diminished significantly, which is obviously a good thing, but unfortunately, the lack of immediate-must-survive-must-figure-out-how-to-not-die worrying has left both their minds to wander and consider things they've been pushing back. 

Including the death of their father.

These thoughts have been plaguing Sean for a while now, but they've mostly been zipping in and out of his mind, he'd never been able to truly _think_ about what it meant.

Dad was gone. Like, actually gone. He wasn't going to see him again. Daniel wasn't either. They both have known that, for months. Obviously. But he was never able to really think about it, other than a few instances like in the motel where he and Daniel both broke down and cried about it and shared that moment.

But they really haven't been able to truly grieve until now.

Sean's had to try to hide it. He knows that Daniel's scared too, and these things are hurting him as well, and he's been there for that support, but he hasn't ever, really, revealed his true feelings to Daniel about it. 

_If I look like I've got it together, like I know what to do, it'll make him feel safer,_ he's always thought.

But he doesn't have it together. He keeps thinking over what happened, replaying the situation over and over in his head. He envies his little brother sometimes...Daniel doesn't remember any of it.

The way the cop went flying…

The strict, tense body of Officer Matthews as he prepared to kill a man in his own yard…

The way Dad's body fell the second the bullet hit him…

His corpse sitting on the lawn, surrounded by broken shit, the little twisted body of the cop having been thrown across the street…

The hole--

The hole in his father's chest, and the way he grabbed him, clutched on to him, one last desperate hope that Sean's pull could save him…

These are the thoughts that are, literally, keeping him up at night. As his little brother is sleeping so peacefully next to him, he's retracing the worst moment of his life.

Oh, how he wishes he still had that. But that's what he's fighting for. The ability to keep Daniel calm, content, safe, above anything else.

But that just makes him feel more isolated. He can't make Daniel worry by telling him about this. Claire & Stephen wouldn't understand, they would probably make it worse. He has _no one_.

And he knows he shouldn't think of it that way. Even if it's true. If he clouds his mind with pain like that, how will he be able to stop it when it goes too far?

He won't. Yet despite knowing this, those thoughts keep running through his mind.

_Dad is dead. I have no one. What if I could've done something? I could've never tried to beat up Brett, why did I even do that? Why? Because he insulted Daniel? Great job, dumbass, Daniel will probably think it's okay to get in fights over shit like that. And if I didn't, Dad would still be here. If I never kicked Daniel out of my room, Dad would still be here, if I was just a good big brother…_

Fuck. Sean can't focus on anything else, his body feels both loose and tense at the same time, he needs to stay still but he needs to move, he needs to, he needs to, he needs to..

God. His heart feels like someone dropped a 50 pound weight on top of it and he can't get it off, but does he deserve to get it off? He can't decide that.

He feels erratic. Like his entire body is out of sync. His breathing is wrong, his heart feels like it's moving too fast yet not moving at all, his whole body is trembling and he can't stop it. He….can't….stop….it.

Is he breathing? He can't tell. He's alive so he must be, but he can't feel it. 

What does he need to get under control? He feels numb and he can't find that either, and, and, and…

Oh god, oh fuck, it's getting worse, he can feel it. He just wants to sleep. He can't solve it, if he can fall asleep his body will sort itself out okay, right? But this won't let him sleep. It's a moment where he realizes he is truly, entirely helpless to what his body has decided to do.

The panic sets in. The only thing he knows could help him can't help him, he's stuck here and this can only get worse, it can never get better, and he starts sweating heavily.

How do you stop this? Maybe if he gets up and runs around, it will wear out all the unwanted energy? But at the same time, he feels totally...exhausted. How can his body feel like it needs to overwork itself when it doesn't have the energy to do that?

Fuck. What does he do?! He has no option here. His only true option is sit there and hope it goes away. But he _knows_ it won't go away.

He starts losing control of his breathing. He can't stop himself from breathing faster and faster, what's the outcome here? What is this leading to? It's not going to stop, so it isn't leading anywhere, it won't go away, and it's scary, and...what does he do? Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck…

"Sean?" A whisper comes from the other side of the bed, faint enough that he thinks he's just imagining it, that maybe he's delusional, he's hearing things now…

"Sean!" Nope. He isn't hearing things. Daniel is awake, and...god, he doesn't want to be so freaked out in front of him, he doesn't want to scare him, all the chaos must've woke Daniel up, okay, okay, he only has to calm himself down a little bit, just look normal in front of him, don't freak him out…

He rolls on to his back.

"Sean! Are you...okay?" Daniel asks, and though he's trying to look normal, he can't fake it, he isn't okay, he's trembling in front of his little brother.

"Daniel, I, just, I can't…" He says, trying to say something that makes sense and won't freak Daniel out. Fuck, how can he fix this?

A distressed look starts spreading across Daniel's face, and in the dark Sean can't tell if he's started to cry, but he is worried of it.

Daniel sputters something unintelligible that sounds like something between a cry and a whine, then he, seemingly instinctively, puts his small hand on his brother's chest and feels his heartbeat.

"Sean, please...it's okay," Daniel softly speaks, yet the tone of his voice makes it obvious that he's incredibly worried for his brother and has no idea if what he's doing will actually help.

"Please calm down, Sean...look," Daniel whispers, inching closer to Sean. "Don't look over there, look at me."

Sean looks over at Daniel, who is still trying to temper the distress in his eyes.

"Sean...breathe...just breathe...you're okay, you're safe, we're safe. Remember? We're with Grandma and Grandpa."

"I, I…" Sean wants to say something but he can't focus enough to realize what and his mouth feels dry and numb. 

"Breathe...you can do it. Does it hurt?" Daniel consolidates.

"I...it...I don't think it hurts."

"Are you...scared?"

As much as Sean doesn't want to say it to Daniel, at this point, it makes no difference. It's obvious he's scared.

"Y-yes."

"You're safe. What are you scared about?"

"Daniel...I...do you think," he pauses to make sure he can handle talking about this. "Do you think that Dad wouldn't have died if I didn't...you know?"

Daniel immediately pulls himself closer to Sean and completely hugs him, making sure he can still feel Sean's heartbeat.

"Sean...that…" Daniel starts crying. "No. You didn't--that wasn't your fault! Sean, please, I, you, don't even think about that. It wasn't your fault."

"I…"

"It wasn't. Please calm down, okay? You're safe, and, and, I'm here, and I love you, Sean. Just, um, take deep breaths and remember I'm here. Please…" Daniel practically whimpers, and his face looks like a dog whose face has just been kicked in.

"I'm right here."

Daniel's right there. He's going to be okay, he just has to remember how close his brother is. Daniel has his arms wrapped around him as much as his tiny arms can wrap around him, he's right there, he cares and he can help.

They're brothers. They'll never give up on each other.

It's not a one way street. He wants to support Daniel and never worry him, but Daniel only wants to help him too. They have each other and have to be there for each other. Always. It's hard to him to comprehend, but for each and every way he loves Daniel and would support him, Daniel feels equally strong in each way for him.

He's not alone. Daniel cares and he can help. He wants to.

Now he just needs to breathe. Focus on his breathing, his heartbeat, just...slow himself down. Get in a rhythm.

_Daniel is right there. He's taking care of you._

_Of course it still hurts. But you're not alone. Daniel actually cares. A lot._

Sean looks at his brother and tries to filter everything else out. Just focusing on that feeling of safety, of comfort, that Daniel gives him and how much they both care for each other.

A lot of shit sucks for him, but how much does that really matter when he knows that Daniel loves him? 

He still has the most important person to him. And not only that, but Daniel is _safe_ , he's okay, and he'd do anything to make Sean feel safe and okay too.

That calming comfort overtakes all feelings of worry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this one because there's a lot of stories I love with the trope where Daniel is scared or worried or hurting emotionally and Sean comforts him, but there's not so much of the reverse so I wanted to just write a little [mostly] wholesome thing about that.
> 
> Title of this chapter is from the Bright Eyes song of the same name.
> 
> I've got lots of ideas for more stories and there will probably be a Christmas related one sometime soon.


	3. Just Don't Let Yourself Forget When The Times Get Good

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Despite how difficult their life has become, no one will stop them from making Christmas feel special.

Dec 25th, 2016

It's Christmas Day, and on a day that's supposed to be so happy and special to so many, it's exactly the opposite to Sean & Daniel.

They've been living in the cold for weeks now, after the altercation with the police at their grandparents left them without a home again. 

They're tired, sore, sad, and hungry, and left with nothing but each other. At this point it's easy to forget what they're fighting for. But they have to keep going out of sheer hope and their desire for a better tomorrow.

Despite the work they've found on a nearby farm, they still don't have a consistent place to sleep. No matter how much they've begged the owner. Even today, he still told them they had to find a place to sleep off his property.

So here they are, are heading through the closest town's main block, one they've seen all too many times now, but this time does feel different, in a way. It's Christmas, so Sean's been hoping that maybe, just _maybe_ , there might be some more generous people around tonight.

It's the 'around' that's the hard part. Who's outside past 8 at night on Christmas Day?

And as the brothers walk through the town square, it looks like there isn't much of a chance of that. Sean continues to keep his eyes out for other opportunities. Food, supplies, shelter--not that they're missing that, they have a tent, but it'd be nice to find a better place to sleep than a tent out in the cold air.

As they continue moving, Sean does notice something. It's maybe a bit risky, but the reward would probably far outweigh the risk.

There's a Cabela's over on the far side of the city block. Yeah, it's a hundred percent closed, Sean's pretty sure they usually close at around six thirty, and it's also Christmas, but if they could find a way inside...not only would it provide shelter and tons of supplies, but Sean has vivid memories of Esteban taking him to see the Christmas displays there as a kid. It would be amazing for keeping Daniel's spirits up.

"Hey, dude," Sean says, bringing attention to the old marketplace. "I think, maybe, we could sleep there tonight. Plus they've probably got food there too."

"C-Cabela's? But they're closed, aren't they?" Daniel says, shivering in the frigid, bitter air.

"Dude, everywhere's closed," Sean says casually. "But if there's one place I'd want to stay the night, it's there."

"You really think? It'd be nice to actually sleep inside."

"Exactly! So, come on, let's do it," Sean says, trying to keep his little brother content as they head up to the entrance of the store.

"So...are we gonna break in? I don't know…" Daniel says, always one to be hesitant of doing anything illegal.

"Well, I think, if we can find a way to get in, without being so obvious, then it'll work."

"But what if an alarm goes off? Or...something…" Daniel mutters."

"Then I guess we'll run. But look, I get it, but, it's Christmas, dude, and our Christmas so far, it hasn't really been a Christmas. We deserve it. You deserve it," Sean reassures, and this makes the slightest start of a smile pop up on Daniel's face, probably the closest Sean's seen to a smile from him in a few days.

"So how do we get in? Maybe I could use my power?" Daniel asks.

Sean's slightly surprised at the suggestion. "I thought you didn't like your power anymore." To Sean's understanding, Daniel hasn't used his power even once since Beaver Creek.

"No, I do. Kinda…" Daniel looks at his feet for a moment. "I just thought, you know, it'd be the easiest way."

"Yeah, but let's see if there's another way first, right?"

# # #

Unfortunately, a big chain store isn't something very easy to break into. There's no windows, no way up to the roof, the only entrances are the front, side, and rear doors. The brothers decide the rear employee door would be the easiest to open and attract the least attention.

"Okay, you sure you wanna do this? I don't want to force you to use your powers if you don't want to," Sean says, carefully.

"Yeah, I'm okay. It's Christmas. We deserve _something_. Even if it's just a warm place to sleep," Daniel says softly, in such a way that makes Sean's heart shatter.

"I'm sorry, dude," Sean says, kneeling down to hug his brother. "It's gonna be okay. Promise."

Daniel keeps himself wrapped in the hug for a while, before pulling away. "Okay. Let's go inside," he says. "I'm really cold."

"Alright, whenever you're ready," Sean signals to Daniel.

Daniel outstretches his arm at the door. A few specks of snow start floating several inches above the ground. The door shakes, then bursts open.

"Okay, stay here while I check this out," Sean says.

"O-okay...be quick," Daniel says, shivering.

Sean walks in slowly, keeping his head low, careful not to make any noise. He doesn't hear an alarm. And it seems like all of the employees have definitely gone home. Though, the lights are off, so it's hard to judge.

Sean walks back to the door and gestures for Daniel to enter the building, before shutting the door, and grabbing him by the shoulder to tell him what's going on.

"Okay, dude, so, I don't think anyone's around, I didn't see any signs that we alerted someone, but we still have to be careful," he warns. "And be ready to run if something happens. And stay right next to me, okay?" 

"Okay, I-I'll be careful," Daniel whispers.

The place the brothers have entered through appears to be some kind of storage area for employees. They just have to find the exit that goes to the main store. It likely has all kinds of wilderness supplies, probably some food, on top of the Christmas displays. Daniel's gonna love it.

"Okay, dude, so right now, it's gonna be hard to look for shit in the dark, but I thought," Sean pauses. "Uh, you know how...when you're scared, the lights flicker? I thought that maybe you could use your power to turn them on," Sean theorizes.

"I can try, but I don't know, Sean. I've never tried to do something like that before," Daniel says hesitantly.

"I believe in you. You can do it...trust me," Sean reassures.

"Okay. Thanks Sean," Daniel says, and he starts to focus. He clenches his fists, closes his eyes, and for a moment it seems like nothing happened. Sean's just about to say something when suddenly, the lights all flip on, blinding Sean for a second.

Daniel opens his eyes.

"I did it! I did it!"

"Hell yeah bro, you did," Sean says, excited, and gives Daniel a high five.

"So what are we looking for?" Daniel asks, quizzically.

"Well first we have to hit the main store, we're still in the employee section. Come on, this way," Sean says, he and Daniel walking over to the door both briskly and cautiously.

Sean opens the door for Daniel, then moves through himself.

"Woah," Sean hears Daniel's excitement immediately. "There's so many trees!"

"Yeah, it's pretty cool, huh?"

"Wait, look! Sean!" Daniel yells loudly and starts running over to what's caught his attention, ignoring basically everything that Sean told him earlier, but it doesn't seem like anyone's around now, and Sean can't bother to be mad when Daniel's yipping and yelling with such excitement, and an actual _smile_ spread across his face.

"Coming, coming! Dude, don't run off!" Sean yells back in a way that's somehow both serious and playful.

"So what's up?" He asks his little brother.

"Look how cool this is!" Daniel says, referring to the big Santa display with the giant chair and elf cutouts.

"Yeah, it's pretty rad," Sean replies. "Dad used to take me to one of these when I was really young."

"Why did he never take me?" Daniel wonders.

"I don't know, dude."

"Well, anyway, it's cool! It'd be nice to have gone here...on a normal Christmas," Daniel says, meloncholically.

Sensing his little brother's mood starting to falter, Sean immediately goes into action. 

"Hey dude, look at this!" He says, pointing at the big Santa chair. "I bet this is where they'd have all the kids come in and tell Santa what they want for Christmas."

Despite Sean's fun tone, it doesn't seem to do much for Daniel. Maybe it's just serving as another reminder of their situation. Daniel just wants to be a kid again. Realizing this, Sean knows exactly what he needs to do.

Grabbing a Santa hat from the floor, Sean tries his best Santa impression.

"Ho ho ho!" He bellows. "Uh...hello there, child, it's me, uh, Santa Sean!" He says awkwardly, but thankfully managing to knock Daniel out of his gloomy spell.

"Come! Come! Santa Sean, uh, welcomes all children," Sean says, sitting down in the big chair. "Come, child!"

Daniel walks over to Sean, kind of embarrassed by the cringiness of Sean's Santa impression yet still entertained.

'Santa' Sean pats his thigh and once again bellows "Come, child!"

Daniel laughs. "Okay, okay, Santa Sean," he says sarcastically, climbing onto Sean's lap, much heavier than Sean thought he would be.

"Hello, Da--I mean, child I don't know. What's your name?"

"Daniel," he says happily.

"Hello, uh, Daniel. And what would you like for Christmas?"

Daniel just sits for a while, without saying anything, before finally replying, "I want the new Hawt Dawg Man game for my PlayBox! And at least one box of Choc-O-Crisps, maybe more. And I want that new Star Wars Lego set with the Millennium Falcon! And…" He pauses, clearly back down to reality.

"And I want," Daniel says softly. "I just want to know that we'll be okay. And...that I won't miss everything so much...and it won't hurt as much," he says, and this time there's nothing Sean can do to stop him from crying. He just wraps his arms around Daniel and holds him close as Daniel cries into him.

"I just want a normal life again."

"I know," and Sean cries right back.

# # #

After the brothers share their moment, Sean sets the tent up, half hidden within the Christmas trees, and leaves Daniel inside while he goes looking for food and supplies.

There's really not much to be found. But Sean manages to collect a few small bits, some supplies and snacks, and even a few Choc-O-Crisps for Daniel.

"Alright, I'm back," Sean greets. "I got some stuff."

"Ooh, what did you find? I'm really hungry," Daniel groans.

"Well, like I said, it's not much," Sean crawls in the tent and lies down next to Daniel. "But first, I wanna show you something else."

"What?"

"Can you turn the lights off with your power?"

"O-okay," Daniel says shyly. "One sec."

Daniel closed his eyes and focuses. After a moment, all of the lights switch off and the brothers are left in absolute darkness.

"Why did you want me to do that?" Daniel questions.

"Well, you know all those Christmas trees? Most of them are all wrapped in lights. I was thinking maybe you could use your power to turn them on too," Sean suggests.

"Maybe...I can try," Daniel says, and he starts to focus once more. Sean sets his hand on Daniel's shoulder, a subtle reminder of his support.

Once again, it works. Sean & Daniel can see outlines of colored lights coming from outside their tent.

"Alright, you wanna see the lights, Daniel?"

His face lights up.

Sean & Daniel exit their tent, and are immediately greeted by a shining collage of colors from every direction. The rows of trees lined up like beautiful royal guards, their vibrant reds and blues and pinks and greens shielding them from the truth of how desperate their situation is, at least for the moment.

"Woah," Daniel exclaims. "It's so pretty."

Daniel starts running up and down the aisles, looking at every tree and taking it all in, while Sean walks closely behind him.

"This is so cool!" Daniel yells, continuing to excitedly woosh up and down, zipping and zagging between the trees and the aisles.

"Hey, don't run so fast!" Sean chuckles while trying to chase after his little brother. "You're gonna get lost, bro!" 

"Nah, I know my way around! And I bet you can't catch me!" Daniel giggles.

"More like you're gonna knock over the trees going so fast," Sean laughs. "But fine…you wanna play this game? I'm coming for you, dude."

Daniel's already moved out of view, running through the aisles to get as far out of Sean's reach as possible.

"I'm gonna find you, bro."

Daniel's occasional giggling is his biggest weakness, and it allows Sean to sneak right up on him. He's tried to hide under one of the bigger trees in the display, but Sean's seen him. Daniel hasn't seen him though…

"RAWW!!" Sean screams, startling Daniel and making him get up and run again, shaking the tree as he does. 

"The bigger wolf always eats the little one!" Sean yells, and Daniel laughs.

"Hahaha, I don't know about that."

"I'm gonna get you, bro!" Sean yells while speeding after him, still being wary not to run into any of the trees.

Daniel rounds a corner and Sean moves swiftly to follow him. As he does, Daniel uses his power to carefully topple a tree down into his path.

"C'mon dude, that's cheating!" Sean says playfully, jumping over it.

"Nuh uh," he says, running and giggling, as Sean tries to catch up.

As Daniel goes into a side alley, Sean runs to where he knows it exits and hides up against one of the trees.

When Daniel rounds the corner, Sean jumps out and grabs him.

"AAH!" Daniel yells.

"Hahaha, got you dude."

"Yeah, yeah, okay. I was getting tired anyway. Are we gonna sleep here tonight?" Daniel asks.

"Yeah, we should be fine," Sean confirms. "I remember seeing a sign that they won't be open for like, 2 days. So there shouldn't be anyone around."

Sean & Daniel head back to their tent left in a previous aisle, and crawl inside.

"Um…" Daniel begins. "Did you pick up any food?"

"Oh, yeah! Sorry, I forgot," Sean grabs his bag from the corner and pulls out a few small snacks. Among the debris is some beef jerky, a box of crackers, some Oreos, a few apples and other assorted fruit, and a few Choc-O-Crisps, along with some other knickknacks.

"You got Choc-O-Crisps?! Cool!"

"Well, I knew I had to check the candy shelves to see if they had any. You deserve it, little wolf," Sean says, ruffling Daniel's hair. "And I know it's not much. Most of the shit in here's been taken already...Christmas rush I guess."

"It's fine, I mean, it's cool, I'm just happy we have something _real_ to eat for once," Daniel smiles.

"Yeah, cause Choc-O-Crisps are real food, huh?"

"No, I mean, you know. And they are!"

"Whatever, bro," Sean laughs.

At least for tonight they'll be satisfied. They haven't been able to really say that in a while. They've had money from working on the farm, but it's hard to budget a paycheck for weeks while still trying to save for the road.

Sean's tried to cut every cost, looking for free food whenever possible. And this was a nice opportunity.

"Hey, Sean?" Daniel asks when they're finished eating.

"What is it, buddy?"

"You know how I said all that stuff before, like with the Santa thing?" He begins. "I wanted to know that we'd be okay. I know...you don't know, but I trust you and I thought…"

"Daniel," Sean says painfully. "I know it's been hard," he scoots close to his little brother. "For months, and I know it hurts, I know it does. And I can't say what's gonna happen," he says like a knife being pulled out of a wound;

"But just know that I love you, okay?" He wraps his arms around Daniel, who's started to look so fragile. He's looked like that all too much lately. "We're brothers, alright? I will never give up on you. I promise. And I mean it. There's literally nothing in the entire world that would _ever_ stop me loving you. So whenever you feel alone, or scared, I'm here," he reassures him as he holds him close. "I'll always be here. I love you, Daniel. Forever."

"Sean…" Daniel says, somehow hurting and healing at the same time. "I...I love you too, Sean. I won't ever give up on you either."

"Thanks, dude. You know you're a great brother, right? I'd never trade you."

"You're the best brother in the whole world, I'd never trade you either."

Sean can't help but let a few tears drip out of his eyes, joining his brother in their fragility.

"Love you, bro. Always," Sean says.

"I love you too. Always," Daniel responds, then after a long pause, "Thanks, Sean."

"Sleep tight, little bro," Sean whispers, and they fall asleep still holding each other like the world's about to dissolve around them.


	4. Diaz Brothers! Always.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Extreme fluff. Fluff for the sole purpose of being wholesome Diaz boys fluff. Sean comforts Daniel.

February 8th, 2017

It's a breezy, calm night in Humboldt. A night where it's seemed that everyone was tired and decided to go to bed early.

Sean & Daniel are actually one of the last few to go, which is not usual for them. Daniel usually wants to go to bed earlier and most of the time Sean comes with. 

It's been tough on them the past few months. They haven't been very healthy physically or mentally, and their relationship has definitely suffered. Sean's noticed that Daniel doesn't ask for his help as much. Maybe he's just more independent, but…

He's clung to Finn a lot lately. Sean hasn't been around as much as usual due to work and trying to fit in, and Daniel's become a lot closer to Finn. He probably even spends more time with him than Sean.

That worries Sean quite a lot. What if Daniel doesn't trust him anymore? Has Finn replaced him?

So he's decided he needs to talk with Daniel about it. Make sure he knows that Sean's here for him. They're brothers, and they're the only family each other have out here.

So as they crawl into their tent for the night, Sean starts.

"Hey, we need to talk."

Daniel looks at him sternly. It's the face of, "I'm preparing for the worst and making sure I'm ready to be angry if I have to."

"What? What are you mad about now?" He says, bratty and annoyed.

"Dude...it's not that. Why do you always think I'm mad at you?" Sean asks.

"Because…" he trails off, in a way that suggests he wants to be angry but is hiding something deeper.

When he doesn't continue, Sean puts his hand on his shoulder and says, "I love you, okay? I know it's been hard living here. But I'm not mad, okay? Even when I get mad, I'm not mad at you. I'm mad at everything, okay?"

"Yeah, but...you've yelled at me before and we don't hang out anymore, so-"

"Daniel," he says somehow solemnly, sternly, and lovingly all at the same time. "I'm sorry for yelling sometimes. I'm just trying to protect you, you know?"

"Yeah, yeah. What did you want to talk about?"

"Well, I guess it has something to do with this. I just noticed that you haven't really talked to me seriously lately and I just wanted to make sure you know that I'm always here. Alright? I'm your brother. I love you," Sean says, as the pain and hardship in Daniel's face starts to cease, if only for a moment.

"I'm always here," Sean continues. "You're not alone, and I'm not mad at you. You're the best little brother in the world, okay?"

Daniel looks away from Sean and towards the ground, like he can't acknowledge it or his mind is whirring so fast he doesn't know what to say.

They both stay still and don't say anything for a bit, until Sean breaks the silence with, "You need a hug?"

Daniel looks at him like he asked if he wants to see an alien spaceship.

"No…" he says softly.

"You sure, dude?" Sean says, scooting closer to him.

"Stop!" He says, annoyed, and proceeds to scoot further away.

"Okay, okay, sorry," Sean says, holding his hands up and moving back. "But if you ever just feel alone, or need some comfort, or something, I'm here, alright?"

Daniel doesn't respond.

"Good night, bro," Sean says, and turns over.

"Actually," Daniel says a few seconds later, "I think I do need a hug, please," Daniel scoots over to Sean, as he turns back over.

"Okay. No problem, dude," Sean says, wrapping his arms around Daniel and Daniel's around him.

Daniel moves even closer and holds Sean as tightly as he can. Sean wraps his arms completely around Daniel, protectively.

"I love you, bro."

"Thanks, Sean. I love you too," Daniel says sweetly.


	5. The wind when it blows, it is older than Rome, and our joy, and our sorrow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A few days after they arrive in Mexico, Daniel's power burns out. Seeing how bad of a mood this puts him in, Sean moves quickly to cheer him up.

July 8th, 2017

It's been a few days since Sean & Daniel have arrived in Puerto Lobos, and while it's not a perfect situation, the old town and rotten house have been surprisingly good to them.

It still needs a lot of work, but it hasn't been too much trouble for them just yet. It's still summer in Mexico so the thin and in some cases, swiss-cheesed walls aren't too big of a deal, and the town is very small and calm most of the year from what they've been told, so it isn't too worrying.

The house's wiring still works to an acceptable degree, so the brothers have managed to purchase a microwave and even a TV with some of the money Karen gave them. It's got an antenna and like, 10 channels but it's more than they ever expected from this place. They've also both bought flip phones just in case they need them.

It's an early morning when Sean's making some sandwiches for himself and Daniel.

Grabbing the cheap plates they bought yesterday in the marketplace, Sean walks to the living room, where Daniel is sitting on the half torn couch, watching an early showing of Hawt Dawg Man on the TV.

He sets one plate down on the table and moves to sit down.

"So, what's up?" Sean asks, still slightly drowsy.

"I wish I could understand what they're saying," Daniel says, dejectedly.

"What, my teaching not good enough?" Sean says humorously.

"No, I just, I know it'll take a while before I can speak Spanish. I wish I could just, do it right away."

"I know. But you don't have to talk to people right now. I think everyone we've met so far," Sean takes a bite of his sandwich. "Kinda understands."

"Yeah…" Daniel holds out his arm to grab his sandwich with his power.

Nothing happens. Daniel's brow furrows. Sean looks at him, worried.

"What-" Daniel exclaims, clenching his arm tighter and trying to focus even more.

Still, the sandwich does not float.

"My power-" Daniel whines. "Why is it not working?"

"Shit," Sean whispers, as Daniel tries even harder to use his power. "Did it work yesterday?"

"I never used it yesterday."

"When was the last time you used it?" Sean asks as Daniel lies his arms down and punches the sofa, and Sean moves closer to try to calm him.

"I think," Daniel exasperated, "I think I haven't used it since the border. I've been kinda tired."

"Hmm…" Sean wonders, "Well, are you still tired from that?"

"No, I feel pretty normal."

Sean puts his hand over his face and sighs. "Maybe," Sean thinks, "Maybe you were given the power to help us--get over the border? And now we made it so, I guess, the universe decided you don't need it anymore. I don't know."

"But--I want it!" Daniel gestures wildly. "I like the power," he says softly, trying to use it again, to no avail.

"Dude, everytime you've talked about it, you always say you think it brings trouble and shit. When we first got to Away it was all you could talk about!"

"Yeah...but that was then," Daniel mumbles. "I like being able to do stuff with it."

"I don't know, bro. I remember Jacob, and I think Joan, said the world gave you that power for a purpose, and I think the purpose was to help us get _here._ "

"But what if I wanna do more stuff with it?" Daniel says, practically on the verge of tears.

"Maybe it's like some prophecy or something. Maybe the power was given to you to help us deal with the bad shit. But we're safe now so it was taken away," Sean proposes.

"Maybe…" Daniel says, clearly still upset, as he grabs his sandwich and walks to his room. Sean prepares to say something but decides against it, and heads to the garage to start work on a car.

# # #

It's been a few hours, and Sean's decided he needs a break. It's good for his work ethic to relax every once in a while.

Washing the grease and dirt off his hands, he heads inside the main section of the house to grab a snack.

As Sean's finishing up, he notices something. Where is Daniel? He's usually sat around the TV this time of day. Maybe he's outside?

A quick check confirms the answer: no.

He must be in their room then. Sean heads upstairs to check on him.

Approaching the empty door frame, he sees Daniel sitting on the bed, looking very...not cheerful. He's generally been in a pretty upbeat mood since they arrived here, so what's up?

"Hey, dude," Sean greets him as he sits down beside him.

"Hey," Daniel responds quietly and looks away. 

"What's up, dude? You look...sad."

"It's nothing," Daniel says painfully.

"Dude, the way you said that tells me it isn't nothing. Is this about your power?" Sean questions.

"Yeah," Daniel sighs. "I still haven't gotten it to work."

"You'll be okay, I promise. I know it feels weird to not have it anymore, but I feel like it served its purpose, you know? It helped you save us so many times," Sean reassures him.

"Yeah, I guess. But it still hurts."

"I don't get it, dude."

"What?"

"All you basically ever said about it were bad things," Sean explains. "I never thought you liked it so much."

"I just--I guess, it kinda…" Daniel doesn't say anything for a bit. "I feel like-without it, I'm harder to deal with," Daniel says solemnly.

"What do you mean?"

"I guess," Daniel says shyly, like he really doesn't wanna say this. "I feel like you won't like me anymore. Without it. Cause I'm not special anymore."

"Dude," Sean says sadly yet with an encouraging aura about him. "You are special! You're Daniel Diaz, you know? You're my brother. Even if you don't _feel_ special, you are special. To me."

"You mean that? I don't know…" Daniel sniffs.

"Dude, your power was _never_ why I love you. It was just--there. I love you for, uh, _you_. You're my brother," Sean wraps his arms around Daniel. "Remember what I said on that cliff? I love you, no matter what happens."

Daniel buries his head in Sean's hold and wraps his arms around him too. 

"Okay," he says neutrally.

"Look, you know what?" Sean says, still holding Daniel close. "How about this: I don't _really_ need to work the rest of the day. I'll just work longer tomorrow. So we've got the whole day to ourselves. You wanna hang?"

"That'd be super cool, but you don't have to," Daniel lightly protests.

"I love you, right? I don't have to, but I _want_ to. What do you wanna do? I'm up for anything you are, bro."

"Really? It'd be nice to have more time together."

"Hell yeah, bro! What do you wanna do?"

"Uh…" Daniel closed his eyes and thinks for a second. "What if-we could draw for a bit? Maybe we could draw something for each other? That'd be fun."

"Alright, let's do it. I knew it was a good idea to pick up those papers and pencils last weekend," he says, putting his hand on Daniel's shoulder for one more bit of reassurance as they proceed down to the kitchen, the only room in the house with tall enough surfaces.

"Alright, here's yours," Sean says, placing a paper on the table, proceeding to help lift Daniel into the wooden stool still quite too tall for him to get onto himself. "And here's mine. Let's just draw for a bit, and uh, see what happens, I guess," he says, then quickly adds, "Wait, let me, uh…" Sean fumbles with a cardboard box on the floor and places it upright on the table. "There. Now we can't peek at each other's drawings."

"Cool," Daniel says, and soon after the sound of pencils stenciling is the only notable sound in the room.

# # #

Once the brothers have finished, Sean has them head to the living room to show off their drawings.

"Alright," Sean sits down on the couch. "Do you wanna go first, or should I?"

"Uh...you can go first."

"Alright, so here it is," Sean says, turning his paper around. "It's you as Superwolf, and Captain Spirit, uh, you guys are working together to fight this guy, he, uh, his name is uh, Kilo, he was trying to throw a rock at you but, you, uh...yeah. Sorry. Maybe I shouldn't have reminded you…"

Daniel grabs the drawing. "No, it's okay. This is super cool! Like, how do you-- how do you even draw like that?! You should start a comic or something. It'd be so good."

Sean chuckles. "Don't get carried away, _enano_. It's just a drawing. But thanks."

"Sean, it's not just a drawing. It's like--you took part of yourself and put it on a paper! I don't know, that sounds weird...but it's cool," Daniel exclaims.

"I think I get it. Thanks, dude."

"I can keep it, right?" 

"Of course, _enano_."

Daniel's eyes light up. "Cool."

"Alright," Sean says. "Can I see yours?"

"Um…" Daniel says hesitantly, holding his drawing to make sure he keeps track of it. "I don't know...what if you don't like it? I mean, I know it's not as good as yours, but what if it's...you know…"

"Dude," Sean says warmly. "It's like you said, right? It's like you put part of yourself on a paper. That makes it special, regardless. Because it, uh, has that...connection, I guess? It's hard to explain, but you know…"

"You sure? It's kinda embarrassing."

"Dude, I'm sure it's great. It represents you, you know? How would I not like it when it's, like, a part of you?"

"O-okay…" Daniel stutters. "Here," he hands it to Sean. "Hope you like it."

"Woah, wait, so this is…"

"It's you. And look on the side, it says what all the parts mean."

""My brother's feet. His will to keep moving and to make it home safely.""

""My brother's legs. His strength to get back up when he gets hurt.""

""My brother's hands. Him hugging me and how much he cares about fixing problems I have.""

""My brother's arms. His determination to fight and never give up even when things are bad.""

""My brother's mouth. His reassuring words that make me feel accepted and like I belong.""

""My brother's ((gigantic)) heart. How much love he has and how no matter how bad I feel, he can easily make me feel better.""

""I love you so much, Sean.""

"Dude," Sean cracks, looking up from the paper. "That's so...so…" He can't find the words, so instead he wraps his arms around Daniel and rests his chin on Daniel's head warmly.

Both of them are crying now, but in an entirely joyous way.

Once Sean lets go of Daniel, he finally spits out, "Dude, that's like, the nicest thing you could ever say. I…"

"And it's so true, too."

Sean makes a sound somewhat of a combination between an "awwww…" and a gasp and holds Daniel close, again.

"Okay, dude, I am so getting that put on the wall, or maybe the fridge, or I don't know, but that...that's amazing. I wanna have that somewhere I can see it every single day," Sean says lovingly.

Daniel looks at him with an expression of pure pride and love.

# # #

After they're done exchanging heartfelt words, Sean grabs a piece of cardboard from the kitchen and asks Daniel if he wants to make another Ship, Captain, Crew, to which he enthusiastically agrees. 

Sean hands Daniel a marker and suggests them both creating a ship of their own.

Sean's ship is a careful and sharply drawn one with a large sail with a detailed wolf drawn on it. He adds small cannons to the side.

Daniel's ship is a very wide one with a smaller sail and a "SW" logo on it for Superwolf. He adds small pirates with swords standing on the deck.

"Hey, I guess with this," Sean says, pointing to his eyepatch, "This game fits even better."

Daniel laughs, then looks at Sean in a "maybe I shouldn't have laughed" way, to which Sean's look replies, "no, it's fine".

"I'm Captain Diaz, now!" Sean says with a pirate voice. "The fiercest pirate in all the seven seas!"

"Yes," Daniel says, imitating the voice, "and I'm First Mate Dan, who's always by his Captain's side, ready to fight alongside him!"

Sean chuckles. "But who is the better pirate? I think it's time to find out," Sean says, grabbing some dice from the closet. "You ready, matey?"

"Ready," Daniel says playfully.

# # #

When the brothers are tired of making pirate expressions and battling each other on the open sea, Daniel heads to the TV to watch Hawt Dawg Man on On Demand while Sean makes dinner, their usual routine at this hour.

A while later, Sean comes into the living room with a full plate of burgers, which bring a smile to Daniel's face instantaneously. 

Once they're finished devouring those, Sean heads back to the kitchen, and when he returns, he begins with, "So...uh, when I was at the market yesterday," Sean sits down on the couch. "I found a few of these," he pulls a few Choc-O-Crisps from his pocket. "I don't think they're the exact same as the ones you used to have, but you tell me," he says, handing them to Daniel, who has a shine in his eyes.

"Yeah," Daniel says. "They taste pretty much the same."

"Cool. So, uh…" Sean says, gesturing to the TV screen currently displaying "REPLAY?", "What happened on Hawt Dawg Man?"

"Oh," Daniel exclaims, still stuffing his mouth with chocolate, "It was one I never saw before. Hawt Dawg Man was trying to find out where his friend Big Mustard went. Turns out Meatman had kidnapped him and Hawt Dawg Man had to save him! It was pretty cool."

"Oh yeah, I know that one. I remember watching it at Lyla's house when I was a kid," Sean smiles gently. "Anyway, uh, I just wanted to make sure that you were okay and all, I mean, we had today to do shit and have fun and it was awesome, but...obviously I can't do this every day. I just wanna make sure you'll still be okay," Sean says, placing a supporting hand on Daniel's shoulder.

"Yeah…" Daniel sighs. "I still miss the power. I keep trying to use it, like, I think it'll somehow come back, but...it hasn't," Daniel lifts out his arm at the Choc-O-Crisp wrappers. "I'll be okay, though," Daniel says, closing his eyes and focusing.

Suddenly, Daniel's eyes snap back open and the wrapper starts floating lightly over the table.

"Wait! My power! It's--it's back?!" Daniel says ecstatically, running up and down and around the room lifting all kinds of things, big and small.

Sean just sits on the couch with a slightly defeated, yet humored expression. "So we spent this whole day together to make you feel better and _now_ your power comes back?"

Daniel looks back at him with an expression of "everything in the world is awesome" and runs over to him, practically jumping on him as he gives him a hug.

"You were just being the best brother! Like _no_ other brother could ever be as cool as you! Ok, sorry that you now have to work extra tomorrow, but still, you did all the nicest things and were the best brother, and, and-"

"Ok, _enano_ , I get it," Sean says, humored. "You kinda deserved it anyway," Sean laughs, wrapping his arms around Daniel and holding him entirely openly and loving.

Sean and Daniel really are the best brothers either of them could ever have.


	6. To love and to be loved

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Very fluffy. Daniel is comforting and spending time with Sean as he recovers in Away and they both will make sure each other know how much they love them.

April 21st, 2017

Sean & Daniel have been at Away for a few days now and so far have been spending as much time together as possible.

Sean recounted his time in the hospital (which every time he speaks on Daniel looks away and he has to reassure him it wasn't his fault) and Daniel's talked a lot about his life in Haven Point.

Sean tried to help him process Lisbeth's hold. Her manipulation, her abuse, everything she did seemed to have taken roots in Daniel and him realizing the truth had violently tore those roots out. It left scars.

Every time he spoke on it, Sean's knowledge of how Lisbeth controlled him gained. She made him feel special. Loved. Something he wished he could've done more in Humboldt. He was convinced that nothing else could give him purpose or make him feel loved, so he had to stick with Lisbeth despite the abuse and the manipulation.

The bad was very bad, but she convinced him he couldn't get the good anywhere else. 

Thankfully, Sean's words that fateful day in the church showed him otherwise.

The brothers have been spending as much time together as possible now, finally reunited.

"Hey," Sean says, weakly, still feeling the damage from Nicholas and Lisbeth. "Can you-put some music on?" He says, pointing to Karen's laptop on the table across from the bed.

"Uh-uh, sure," Daniel nods, crawling out of the bed slowly, careful not to knock Sean, who still has bruises all over his body.

"What do you want me to put on?" He asks, barely able to reach up to and see the computer with his tiny frame.

"Just, anything," Sean says.

"I'll put this on. I know you like this album," Daniel says, as the sound of Gorillaz' Demon Days fills the trailer as Daniel crawls back into the bed. "Do you need anything else?" He asks sweetly.

"A hug?" Sean says heartfully.

"Yes!" Daniel scoots into Sean's grasp and wraps his own arms around his big brother.

"You know you don't _have_ to do all this stuff for me, right? Karen's taking care of me too."

"Yeah, I know, but, we were separated for so long...I guess it's just nice to have you back," Daniel says, his eyes shining as he looks up at Sean.

"Amen to that," Sean says, caressing the side of Daniel's face.

"Plus," Daniel says. "You took care of me so much...so I should be here for you now."

"That's really nice, dude, and I appreciate it so much," Sean smiles gently. "But you don't have to. I'm sure there's some fun stuff here for you to do, everyone seems cool, maybe you should-"

"No, Sean," Daniel says dismissively. "I just wanna be here for you. I just want you to know how much I love you and stuff. You deserve to feel like that. Like you're loved so much."

Sean gently kisses Daniel's forehead. "Dude, you're the best. I could never ask for a better brother, could I?"

"I guess I got it from the real best brother in the world, huh?"

"Stop," Sean chuckles playfully. "I'm not _that_ great."

Daniel scoots completely into Sean's arms and buries himself in his hold. "Yes, you are! I love you SO much."

Sean calmly rests his chin on Daniel's head. "I love you too, _enano_."

"I missed you so much in Haven Point, you know? I had these dreams...where I thought I saw you, and I just wanted to go up to you and say I'm sorry and that I love you, but you always ran away," he says solemnly. "It made me really sad, cause I thought you didn't like me anymore. But then you saved me from Lisbeth."

"I had dreams about you too, _enano_ ," he says. "You always wanted to say sorry, and I kept saying it was fine, but everytime, something bad would happen to you and I'd wake up before I could help you."

"But I'm here now and I'm okay. Because you saved me," Daniel says warmly.

"You're right," Sean says. "And I'd do it again and again. You deserve that."

Daniel diverts his eyes. "You mean that?" He says shyly. 

"I really do. I love you, okay? I promise I'll fight for you."

"I'll always fight for you too, Sean. You deserve it too," Daniel says lovingly. "You're...actually the best. Like, the best big brother, the best person to take care of me, the best...friend...I could ever have. I just," Daniel rests his head into Sean's hold. "Love you so much," he smiles purely.

Sean pulls Daniel into him close and gently kisses Daniel's forehead. "You're the best too."

It's these moments that make Sean truly feel like he is healing. It's like the light of Daniel's love is shining over his wounds, slowly yet meaningfully giving him the power to heal them.

It always hurts, it always has, he's felt a lot of pain a lot of the time for a long time, but in moments like this, where him and Daniel are cuddled up so closely, being there for each other, giving each other the satisfaction of that affection, it's like if for just a moment that pain doesn't matter.

How could he feel anything negative when he's holding his precious little brother in his arms and they're both sharing the immense love in their brotherhood and making it known to each other?

He couldn't. He can only feel warmth and pure love.

For yet another time, Sean is thanking the universe for Daniel's existence. And he knows Daniel's done the exact same thing many, many times.

That's really what it's about for the Diaz brothers. Thankfulness, affection, compassion, and of course that infinite, impossible to defeat love.

Their brotherhood will always prevail over every obstacle, both the ones inside them and out.

That's all that matters right now. That Sean & Daniel could not love each other any more than they already do.

And that will last forever.

Sean rests his hand on Daniel's back and holds him protectively. Daniel sinks into Sean's grasp, gently resting with him like he's a part of Sean's own body.

The part he values most.


	7. The Trials of Babyism

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Listen up. Daniel Diaz is a BABY.

November 22, 2017

It's getting calmer and darker in Puerto Lobos and Daniel is just heading to bed. But it's not any normal night.

Ever since they got to Mexico, Sean & Daniel have been sleeping in the singular old bed in the upstairs bedroom. It's all they had, and to admit, Daniel loves having his brother's company more than anything else, so it never was an annoyance to him.

It was nice to know he could always hold onto Sean if he needed to, and without Sean's reassurances those first few nights, he probably wouldn't have slept at all.

But just recently, Sean has bought and assembled a small wooden bed frame in the other, emptier upstairs room, and an accompanying mattress and sheets to go with it. Daniel's own bed.

Sean's talked about how Daniel needs to "be more independent". Do his own things. Learn how to fend for himself. That kind of stuff. And this typically involves spending less time with Sean.

Daniel can't understand. All he wants to do is hang out with Sean all day, help him out, just...enjoy his company. They're brothers, right? They're supposed to be there for each other. He doesn't want to spend less time with Sean.

Does Sean want to spend less time with him?

No, that couldn't be. Right? Sean's the most caring and amazing big brother in the world. Daniel's had worries of whether Sean really loves him in the past but these months with him in Puerto Lobos have reassured him that no matter what, Sean will endlessly love him.

So that makes even less sense.

The concept of growing up is really confusing.

So here Daniel lays, in his own bed, in his own room. It feels so much colder than he thought it would. This room tends to be a bit chillier than most of the house anyway, and the lack of Sean beside him makes him even colder.

It feels so empty. Like he doesn't know what the process of sleep should be without him and Sean holding each other and lovingly reassuring each other. 

Then comes the anxiety. Of a million things.

What if someone breaks into the house and takes him and Sean doesn't know?

Or they break in and kill Sean and he doesn't know?

What if Sean wakes up early and he doesn't know and something falls on Sean and he gets hurt and he has to sit there in pain and and and-

And although he entirely understands that these are just irrational and childish fears, they still freak him out.

Ripping off his Hawt Dawg Man themed bed sheets with a distraught look on his face, he rushes out the room and looks around the upstairs hallway.

No murderers prowling around the house. Nothing bad going on.

He slowly tiptoes to Sean's bedroom, and thumbs the half open door further. It creaks softly.

Sean, still awake, quickly glances at the now mostly open door as Daniel darts behind the wall.

"Dude, there's either a ghost in this house, or you just opened the door, and I'm betting on you," Sean says.

Daniel slinks out into the open door frame, and looks down with a half-defeated half-embarrassed expression.

"What is it?"

Daniel looks up at Sean then quickly averts his gaze.

"I don't wanna sleep in there," Daniel says, pointing across to his new room.

Sean sighs. "Is it that you don't wanna sleep in _there_ , or that you don't wanna be by yourself?"

"Um…"

"Fine. Come on," Sean gestures for Daniel to crawl onto the bed.

Daniel crawls onto the left side of the bed, choosing not to use the vast amount of free space but rather cuddle up right with Sean and pull the blanket over himself.

"Why is it such a big deal to be by yourself?" Sean asks, putting his arms around Daniel and holding him like he usually does.

"I don't know. I just...I guess I got used to always having you around. It's kinda scary when I don't have anyone." Daniel admits.

This is always a complex topic for Sean to help out with. Because on one hand, yes, Daniel needs to be more independent, he isn't supposed to rely so much on Sean for feeling comfortable with everyday things.

But on the other, Daniel is extremely adorable, and when he's saying he's scared and wants to crawl in bed and be held, your heart won't let you say no.

Sean stays silent for a moment. "Is there anything I could maybe do to help?"

"Well...I could just sleep in here every night," Daniel looks up at Sean with the biggest puppy eyes the world has ever seen.

"Dude…" Sean sighs. "Other than that?"

"I don't know. Why can't I just sleep in here?"

"Dude, we need our own rooms and beds and shit, okay?" Sean explains. "You can't just sleep in my bed forever. When you get older we both won't even fit."

"Then we can get a bigger bed!"

Sean laughs. "Dude, no. You need your own space. You can sleep here tonight if you really need to, but...you have to grow up, okay?"

"I know. But I still don't get it. It's kinda...comforting, you know? To have you right there."

"I know dude, but I'm always just across the hall. It's not a big deal."

Daniel frowns.

"Plus," Sean suggests. "Maybe sometimes we can have, like, a sleepover and go to each other's rooms sometimes."

"Maybe."

"I'm just trying to help you, okay?" Sean says. "It's not that I don't want to be able to comfort you all the time, but it's just, like, you have to grow up. You need space."

"I don't think so."

"You will in a year or two."

Daniel puts on an insecure expression and doesn't say anything, just rests in Sean's grasp until he falls asleep.

# # #

It's the night after. Earlier in the day, Sean came home from his weekly market trip with a little something special for Daniel.

A Hawt Dawg Man plushie.

"You talked about how it was nice to always have me there," Sean said. "So I thought maybe I could get you something to remind you of me. Something you can hold onto if you're scared. Plus," he chuckled. "I guess it fits with those pajamas I bought as well."

Daniel at first was a little uneasy about it, but after a while has already grown accustomed to it, carrying it with him for the better part of the day.

And now wrapped up in bed, he doesn't feel so lonely. It's like if he starts to feel afraid, he can just hold it closer like he's got a little piece of Sean with him.

Before he knows it, he's drifted off to a peaceful sleep.

His dreams are filled with snowy trees and clouds of mist spreading themselves across the ground. Him and Sean are having a meal in the woods around a campfire.

Then suddenly, a massive yellow bird bursts through the dense forest, toppling over their camp and sending their supplies flying in every direction.

Sean pulls a pistol out of his waistband and takes aim at the bird, but a powerful screech from it sends the pistol flying back into Sean's one eye. He crumples to the ground.

Daniel tries to help him but the giant bird pins him down.

The bird uses its wing to scoop up Sean and screeches again, sending a massive gust of wind through the forest.

The bird then starts to fly off, still holding Sean. Daniel outstretches his arm to try to pull it down, but his power doesn't arrive.

"Sean!" He screams, watching his brother be taken away. 

Sean does not respond.

"Sean! Come back!" He cries. "Sea-"

"Ufff…" Daniel jolts awake. "Sean?" He looks around. It's just a dream. Right? 

Maybe he should still check on Sean.

Propping himself up and grabbing his new stuffed friend, he opens the door to the hallway once more.

Just looking out at the dark is surprisingly frightening to him. He clutches the plushie even closer to himself as he looks around, almost shivering out of both cold and fear.

He tiptoes to Sean's room and opens the door again.

This time, Sean is sound asleep.

Sean's fine. He knew that already, but he needed the reassurance. He looks back down the hall.

Realizing he has no desire to walk through that dark presence again, he climbs onto Sean's bed carefully, as not to wake him up.

Sean's turned over on his side, facing off the bed. Daniel slinks up next to him closely, and rests his forehead on Sean's back.

Suddenly, as if by magic, all his fear is replaced by comfort. He holds the plushie closer and leans more into Sean's presence.

He debates wrapping his arm over Sean to try to hold him, but decides it'd probably wake him up. So instead he just curls up next to Sean with his plushie like a tiny puppy holding a toy.

His whole body just fills with the warmest feeling in the world. The comfort given simply by his brother's existence is undeniable.

"Uhh…" Sean groans.

Shit. Did he wake him up? He didn't mean to. Sean has a lot of work and if he doesn't get enough sleep-

"Ow!" Daniel whimpers.

Sean accidentally rammed his elbow into Daniel's stomach, not knowing he was there.

Sean, as if moving by the grace of God, flips over extremely quickly.

"Daniel! Shit. I'm sorry," He apologizes. "I didn't know you were here…" He puts one arm over Daniel's shoulder and the other under his head, and instinctively pulls him in close. "Sorry, buddy."

"It's ok," Daniel says. "I shouldn't of crawled in, but…"

"You were scared?" Sean asks, giving Daniel a kiss on his forehead. "I know. It's okay," He looks down at the plushie. "Has that helped at all?"

"Yeah. A lot, actually. I just...had a nightmare and was scared," Daniel says shyly.

Sean's face softens. He pulls Daniel in closer and rests his chin on Daniel's head. "It's okay. Maybe...maybe I should get, like, a sleeping bag so I can sleep in there. So we can work up from, like, me sleeping on the floor to me sleeping in a different room. That sound okay?"

"Yeah…" Daniel said softly. "Okay."

The brotherhood of Sean & Daniel is always one of support. They'll always be that way. When you love your brother that much, fighting for every little bit of help and support you can give just comes naturally.


	8. Please Don't Leave Me Alone Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sean returns from a supply trip in the woods and Daniel still feels hurt that he left in the first place.

November 9th, 2016

It's been a long day for Sean, but the hardest part is nearly over. 

A few days ago, he trekked out to the nearest town to grab supplies. Him and Daniel didn't really have much to eat and it was something he knew would have to be done eventually. He put it off as long as possible, not wanting to leave Daniel by himself, but at some point it just had to be done.

The night before he left him and Daniel stayed up playing round after round of Ship, Captain, Crew and Daniel held onto him really close as they went to sleep that night.

Then, in the morning, before Daniel woke up, Sean left the house. It was something he'd already decided and told Daniel it was because he needed as much daylight as possible, though it was also because he didn't want to have to argue with Daniel about it or have a drawn out goodbye before he left.

Now it's a full two and a half days later. He's been as fast as he can, but the walk to the closest town is still relatively far and the snow certainly doesn't help.

But now he's made it. The cabin. His little brother. God, he hopes he's okay...it's probably really scared Daniel to be alone like this for so long.

He slides the door open, sets his backpack full of supplies on the floor, and hangs up his jacket, then he sees a tiny little head poke out from behind the wall.

"Sean!" Daniel says, and the huge frown on his face quickly turns to a gigantic smile. 

"Sean!" He says again, running up to him and jumping just a little bit as he reaches Sean, which startles him but he quickly reacts, putting his arms under Daniel's shoulders and lifting him into his arms.

Daniel wraps his arms around Sean's neck and rests his head on his shoulders. "I missed you so much," He says, and the pain in his voice makes Sean's heart ache.

Sean presses his head to Daniel comfortingly. "I missed you too, _enano_."

Daniel pulls back for a second and looks at Sean and the expression on his face starts to shift, moving from absolute overjoy to pathetic apathy. He slips out of Sean's arms.

Sean tries not to think much of this and puts it aside. "I'm gonna make some dinner, okay?" He says enthusiastically.

"Alright," Daniel says, sounding almost bitter, but in a faulty way, like his tone of voice came mass produced from a knock off company.

 _Shit,_ Sean thinks. _He's pissed. And I can't blame him._

Deciding to address this later, he begins on dinner.

# # #

Later that night, Sean asks Daniel how he's feeling before bed, to which he's not very talkative.

Sean can tell he's hurt. He's mad. Sean's already noticed multiple broken items around the house, presumably from Daniel's power. And maybe he should feel angry about that, but he can't. Daniel was probably just bored and scared and had nothing else to do. Sean would feel like such an asshole for grilling him about any of the broken shit.

Daniel hasn't really talked. And that sucks. Really all he's got from him was those first few seconds where Daniel couldn't control his pure joy at seeing his brother again. But then he was reminded of the anger. He felt abandoned. And when he thought of all those things he felt like he had to act distant. Maybe to protect himself, maybe to show Sean how it made him feel, Sean doesn't know.

But he's still his big brother. He has to look out for him. And that doesn't just mean protecting him from the dangers of the world, but also protecting him from feeling these things. To make him feel understood and loved. That's his obligation too.

Sean reaches out his arm and places it on Daniel's shoulder, who's at the edge of the bed facing away.

"Daniel," Sean sighs. "I'm sorry, man. I know it must've sucked being here on your own. I'm sorry for leaving you that long."

"You had to," Daniel says shakily. Shit, is he crying? It almost sounds like he is.

"I know, but still," Sean says. "Just because I had to do it doesn't mean you're not allowed to feel bad that I did." Sean pauses for a second, then asks, "Are you mad at me? I-I.. wouldn't blame you."

Daniel pauses for a long while. "I'm not mad at you. I'm just...sad...at you. I guess." He whispers, also very shakily.

"I'm sorry." Daniel sniffles. "Hey, are you crying? P-please," Sean feels himself start to break a little. He tries to pull Daniel closer, but Daniel tries to shake off his hand.

Sean tries again.

"Don't touch me!" Daniel yells, absolutely bawling.

"Dude…" Sean pleads. "I just...want you to be okay," he says defeatistly, pulling on Daniel's arm again.

But this time, Daniel turns over, tears pouring out of his eyes and snot coming out of his nose.

Sean wraps his arms around his watery mess of a little brother and pulls him into his body.

"I'm so sorry," Sean says, trying not to cry but failing. "I'm just sorry you had to deal with that. I'm _sorry,_ Daniel."

"I love you so much," Daniel wails. "I was so scared of everything, I was worried you wouldn't come back, I-"

"What did you do when I was gone?" Sean asks, trying to help stabilize Daniel.

"Nothing. I mean sometimes I tried to sit and play and stuff but that kinda hurt too. So I just...layed around. And cried a lot."

Sean can't help it. The image of his little brother just sitting on his own in the dark and crying just fucking hurts his soul. Soon enough the quiet room's sounds include a second brother's crying.

"I'm so sorry," He pulls him into his arms and just lets Daniel melt into his arms even further than he already has, and it's like he's starting to melt too.

"I love you, okay? I wish I would've told you more in Seattle. You'll always be the person that matters the most to me," Sean goes silent, just letting Daniel rest his arms around his back and feel the hold of himself in Sean's arms.

"I'd do anything to help you feel better. I want you to know that, _enano_. Anything. If you need comfort, I'm always here."

"Thanks, Sean," Daniel says, though he can't stop crying.

"I mean it. Come to me anytime if you need support or anything, and I would really be happy to help. I love you."

"I love you too, Sean," Daniel continues to cry, and Sean gives him a kiss on the forehead. "I love you," Daniel says again, still bawling

There's not much else to say, so the Diaz brothers just hold each other until Sean and even later, Daniel, stops crying, and then they go to bed, and while they're facing away from each other, it's not in a resentful way, but rather in a way existing in knowledge of their constant support of each other.

After Sean falls asleep, Daniel scoots back over to that side of the bed and holds onto him, which gives him the comfort he needs to fall asleep as well.


	9. Movie Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's late at night at Claire & Stephen's, and Sean & Daniel are having a movie night.

December 6th, 2016

It's a late night at Claire & Stephen's, and Daniel's of course wanting to get up to something.

Their grandparents probably won't be back for at least another three or four hours, so they've got time to do whatever they want. Daniel suggested a movie night.

"Dude, let's be honest, the only movies they have are probably, like...old people movies," Sean says humorously.

"Like what?" Daniel asks inquisitively.

"I don't know, like '6 Steps To Being Friends With God' or something," Sean chuckles. "I guess we can see if they have anything cool."

"Cool! I'm gonna...look in the kitchen for snacks and you can look for a good movie to watch."

Claire & Stephen's collection of movies is...boring. Really boring. It's mostly just old random movies from the 70s on VHS, and 90% of them have a note stuck on them signifying what they taped over it with.

They have a total of like 6 DVDs. One of which is the first Avengers movie. Sean & Daniel have seen it like a thousand times, but Sean knows it'll still be so much fun for Daniel.

"Hey, dude, I found something," Sean calls out to Daniel.

"Ooooh, what is it?" Daniel asks, half skipping over to Sean.

"Do you remember this?" Sean asks, showing him the DVD.

"The Avengers? Oh, yeah! I remember that movie. Are we gonna watch that?" He asks.

"If that's fine with you."

"Cool! Of course, I haven't seen that in ages," Daniel exclaims.

"So, super-scavenger, what did you find in the kitchen?" Sean asks, already inserting the DVD into the player.

"Well, I can't reach the top shelf, but I got us some chips and cookies and stuff, but...I know Claire has a Choc O Crisp stash on the top shelf…I've seen it whenever she gets me one, so…" Daniel looks up at Sean with puppy eyes.

"Ok, fine," Sean can't say no to his little brother when he puts on that look. "But look, Claire's gonna notice if half the stash suddenly disappears, so I'm only gonna grab 5."

"10!" Daniel argues.

"6," Sean suggests.

"7."

"Fine," Sean says, grabbing a fistful of Choc O Crisps from the cupboard.

"Hey," Sean says. "You wanna...grab some blankets and we could make a fort like we used to back home? I'll drag the chairs from the kitchen."

"Okay!" Daniel says enthusiastically.

Sean and Daniel spend a few minutes finding the right arrangement of chairs and blankets to give themselves a cozy vibe while still being able to see the TV screen, and Daniel's already started digging in the snacks as Sean picks up the remote and presses 'Play'.

Sean remembers the first time they ever saw this movie. Neither of them had seen any of the ones that came before it, but Esteban took them to see it when it was in theaters. Daniel was still really young, like 5 or 6, and Sean still remembers all the faces of awe he made watching it. It was _all_ he could talk about for weeks afterwards.

As they watch it again, Daniel keeps that same awe, with his eyes glued to the screen, but Sean notices him subtly scooting closer to him as the movie goes on.

Sensing his moment, Sean moves in quickly. 

"Don't mess with Hulk Sean!" He says, tickling his little brother.

"Stop it!" Daniel says, laughing, and eventually Sean relents. "I don't think the Hulk is supposed to tickle people," Daniel giggles.

"Well, if I was the Hulk that's how I'd beat my enemies."

"I don't think you'd be a very good superhero," Daniel says.

"You wanna test that theory?" Sean says playfully, trying to tickle Daniel again but he manages to dodge it.

"No!" Daniel exclaims humorously, trying to bump Sean on the shoulder but he's too small to push him in any meaningful way.

"Alright, fine, I won't tickle you anymore," Sean relents, putting his arm around Daniel, what Daniel was obviously aiming for earlier. Daniel smiles gently.

It's so nice to just have a movie night. Sean actually feels _normal_ for once, and Daniel gets to be a kid for a bit. It's nostalgic in more ways than one. A classic movie from home, but also, just...being normal brothers. That's nostalgic too. Being able to put his arm around his little brother in a cosy little fort and watch a movie.

Once again, he's incredibly thankful for Claire and Stephen. Without them, they'd still be out in the wilderness. Without them, who knows if they'd even still be here.

Daniel's focus on the movie only grows deeper. Only after the movie's over and the credits are rolling does he dare to speak again.

"That was so cool," he says softly.

"Yeah, it was nice to just watch a movie, right?"

"Yeah. I missed it," Daniel says kind of solemnly, to which Sean squeezes his arm in a "don't worry, things are okay now" kind of way, to keep him up to reality.

"So, super-bro, Claire and Stephen probably won't be back for a bit longer, so we can do...whatever," Sean proposes.

"Really? Won't they be mad we were up past our bedtime?

Claire and Stephen, well, mainly Claire, are very strict about their 10 o'clock bedtime. Sean kinda understands it for Daniel, but he's 16. Why does it matter if he stays up? Whatever.

"Well, we just gotta make sure we're in bed when they come home. But we can do whatever we want til then," Sean says.

"Cool! So what should we do then?"

# # #

_Ringgggggg…...ringgggggg….._

It's nearly a half hour later, and the phone rings. Sean doesn't get to it in time, but he hears a message play over the machine.

"Hello Sean and Daniel," they hear Claire speak. "I hope everything's well there. Just wanted to call to remind you your bedtime is 10 o'clock sharp, so if you aren't in bed by now you should be. We'll be home at 10:30. Thank you." 

_Click._

Sean looks at the clock. It's now a few minutes after 10. He looks around the room.

Well, shit.

The floor is covered in crumbs from their movie going, of course all the chairs have been moved around, there's toys all over the floor from them playing superheroes, wait--one of the glass cabinets is cracked? How did that happen? 

"Shit, okay. Dude, they're gonna be home soon, so we gotta clean all this up, but-" Sean tries to think. "Okay, I'll grab the chairs and put them back, you use your power to sweep up any food, and then we'll put the toys away after."

"Okay," Daniel responds swiftly.

The brothers spring into action. They put all the chairs back, clean up the floor (Sean ends up having to scrub a spot on the carpet where Daniel spilled grape juice), and they grab all the toys and put them back in their respective places. 

But now the worst part. That glass cabinet. It wasn't broken before, right? No, they probably broke it while throwing that rubber football around. How do you hide that?

Sean shifts through a dozen different ideas. Should they just own up to it? Or they could say Chris did it when he was here-

"No! Then Grandma won't want him over again," Daniel says in response to that idea.

"Then what are we gonna do?" Sean almost yells.

"I don't know!" Daniel retorts. "Maybe they won't notice."

"Dude, _Claire_ will definitely notice. Like right away."

"Well, what if--maybe we could cover it?"

"With what?"

"Maybe you could draw something and tape it on there?" Daniel suggests.

"They'd just get mad if I did that and remove it. But wait-" Sean gets an idea. "If you draw something--I bet they wouldn't mind."

"Why?"

"Cause you're the kid, dude. If I taped some drawing on one of their cabinets, it'd be weird, but if you did, it'd be adorable," Sean explains. "Here, let me--" Sean heads to the closet and brings Daniel a big piece of paper and some markers.

"You want _me_ to draw?" Daniel says skeptically.

"Yeah, dude, it doesn't have to be something crazy. Just draw something cute and Claire will probably treasure it too much to take it off the cabinet."

"Like what?"

"I don't know. You're the artist. Just be quick."

"Hmm…" Daniel cocks his head and looks at the paper, then gets to work.

Daniel draws himself and Sean holding hands, with an arrow pointing to Sean labeled "coolest brother ever", and Claire & Stephen in the background, then, and this makes Sean chuckle, he draws a white and golden robed bearded man labeled "GOD" at the top of the paper. Because if there's any way to make Claire like something better, it's to make it overtly Christian.

"Great job, dude," Sean says, and Daniel looks up at him with a smile. "Now let's tape this to the cabinet and jump in bed before they get home."

Sean quickly grabs the roll and tapes the drawing over the crack in the cabinet. Yeah, they'll probably find it eventually, but for some reason the idea of them finding it in the future and not knowing when it happened is less scary than them discovering it right away.

After that, Sean tells Daniel to brush his teeth and get ready for bed, as he does the same.

Daniel's loved having not only what is a super comfy bed, but also sharing it with Sean. At first Sean thought he'd want his own room after all this time on the road where they've had to share sleeping bags or beds, but Daniel just loves having his brother _right there._ Sean can't say it isn't nice for him too.

Daniel has only had a couple nightmares since they arrived here, which is a massive improvement from before where they were almost every night. It's been so good for him to have a house, a real house, again.

"Hey, dude," Sean says as Daniel walks into the room and yawns. "You ready for bed?"

"Yeah," Daniel says. "We better get to bed before they come back." Daniel hops on the bed and scoots over to the side closer to the wall. It's been his preferred side every night, probably because having your brother on one side, a wall on the other, and a blanket on top makes you feel about as safe as possible.

Good. He deserves to feel safe like that.

Sean pulls the blanket up and, noticing Daniel's expectant expression, wraps his arms around him.

Daniel buries himself deep in Sean's arms and closes his eyes silently. He just listens. He focuses on Sean's breathing, his chest expanding and contracting, and rests his head right up against Sean's ribcage. And that's not without intention.

Daniel likes to just listen to Sean's heart beat. It helps him fall asleep. He doesn't really know why. Perhaps it's just a perfect reminder of the comfort Sean gives him.

Each little beat just feels like another wave of love and comfort surrounding him. Like as Sean's heart is beating, it's sending love from Sean's heart into Daniel's. It makes him feel so valued, so loved, so...perfect. Like nothing is wrong or ever could be. Everything he's worried about just vaporizes as he melts further into his brother's arms.

He continues listening to the rhythmic thumping of Sean's heart, of course smiling gleefully because he can't help it, and uses it as a way to send himself off to sleep.

_B-dm. B-dm. B-dm. B-dm. B-dm._

Daniel's infinite comfort is accompanied by a single thought, _I love you so much, Sean_ , and he's so sleepy he's even not sure if he said that out loud before he dozed off.


	10. I Just Need Cuddles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daniel really wants Sean to cuddle him, but he's afraid to ask.

July 18th, 2017

It's another day in _Puerto Lobos_ , and Sean & Daniel are still getting acquainted. It's been about 2 weeks since they arrived, and it's not easy to adjust, but they're doing their best.

Sean's already started picking up little odd jobs and started doing mechanic work to provide for the both of them. 

They've used Karen's money to help get them on their feet up to this point. They wouldn't be able to get by without it.

It's been a hard-working day for Sean, but he's finally done and can rest for a while. He's sitting on the couch watching cartoons with Daniel, and he's just about to get up to make supper when Daniel scoots over to him and lies down over him, resting his head and shoulders in Sean's lap.

"Dude, what are you doing?" He says conspicuously, looking at Daniel, who puts on a sheepish expression.

"Hey. I gotta make dinner, dude," Sean says, grabbing Daniel and lifting him back up to a sitting position, then heading off to cook dinner, and Daniel puts on a pouty expression from behind Sean as he walks away.

# # #

After Sean & Daniel are finished eating, Sean gets up to clear the table and put the dishes in the sink, but before he can start Daniel rushes over to him and jumps into him, wrapping his arms around him.

"Thanks for the food," he says.

"O-Okay??" Sean says awkwardly, patting Daniel's back and leaving his grasp.

Later, Daniel asks him to play games on their PlayBox, another thing he's thankful that Karen's money allowed them to have.

Of course, Sean wouldn't deny himself the chance to play Wrestlemania Fight Club III with Daniel.

Daniel's gotten really really good at this game. Wow.

Out of a 15 match set, Sean manages to beat his little brother only twice.

"Wow dude, you've gotten so good at this game," Sean says after they finish their set. 

"Yeah. Maybe we should try the co-op mode sometime, then we can work together. Hey…" He says this with a puppy eyes expression. "What if we tried to wrestle in real life?"

"I don't know, dude. I wouldn't want to get you hurt."

"It'd be fun! Come on," Daniel says, wrapping his arms around Sean and very half-heartedly attempting a wrestling move. "Well, can we at least pretend wrestle? Just put your arms around me and do pretend moves."

"I don't know, dude," Sean says, still not wanting to risk anything that could hurt Daniel.

Daniel frowns and gets up. "Okay," he says, walking drearily to his toy corner with an intense pout.

Now Sean knows something's up. He's noticed Daniel's weird behavior all day, but assumed it was just him trying to help cheer Sean up after so much work. But now it seems like something Sean did actually made him feel bad. And Sean can't allow that.

"Hey, Daniel?" Sean asks, sitting on the floor next to him. "What's wrong? I can tell something's up."

"I don't wanna."

"You don't wanna what? Tell me what's wrong? Talk to me? Talk at all? Dude, I love you. I just wanna make you feel better."

"O-okay, but...no, I was just being dumb," Daniel says, averting his eyes.

"Dude," Sean puts his hand on Daniel's shoulder. "Your feelings aren't dumb. No matter how you feel, I still care."

"But it's embarrassing."

"Life is embarrassing, dude. It's okay. I'm not going to embarrass you for feeling a certain way. What kind of brother would I be then?" Sean asks rhetorically.

"O-okay, fine," Daniel fidgets with the robot toy in his hand, like playing around with it makes the words easier to come out. "I just kinda--wanted you to hold me or something. I know it sounds dumb, but I just wanted to just--be held and I don't know. I really like being held." Daniel pretty much refuses to look at Sean, as if revealing a need for affection is somehow the most mortifying thing to him.

Sean just scoots right in and puts his arm around Daniel. "Aww, that's it? That's really nice, dude. All you have to do is ask, okay? If you need to be held or need to feel loved or something, I'm here. I love you, so how could I not wanna make you know that?"

Daniel still looks sheepish about it.

"Look, you wanna be held?" Sean smiles as he stands up. "Okay." He puts his arms under Daniel's shoulders and lifts him into his arms, and Daniel instinctively wraps his legs around Sean to hold onto him even more.

Sean carries him over to the couch and sits down. He holds Daniel close with both arms. "I love you, okay?" He says, giving Daniel multiple kisses on the top of his head. "If you need affection, you just have to ask, okay?" Sean says.

"I love you," Sean says again. "You're the best little bro I could ask for."

Daniel smiles and looks up at Sean, still looking so fragile. He always looks that way in Sean's arms. Like a baby. He doesn't need to act strong in front of Sean, he can just be--himself. 

Despite how much he's grown, that sweet little kid who just needs cuddles every once in a while is still very much there.

"Thanks, Sean. So much," he says. "I love you, too."


	11. This Weather Has Me Wanting Love More Tangible, Something I Can Hold, Cause It's Getting Cold

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Daniel's first day at school in Puerto Lobos and Sean's helps him deal with the anxiety about it.

September 13th, 2017

It's Daniel's first day of school in Puerto Lobos, and he hasn't really been looking forward to it.

Sure, it's nice to be able to feel normal and go to school, but...it's so scary. He doesn't know that much Spanish so he can't really talk with people, he'll be away from Sean all day-

Yeah. That's the worst part. He's barely left Sean's side for months. They were on the road together, camped together, worked on the farm together...then they were separated for about 2 months, and then it was back to always being there for each other.

Protecting each other. Making each other feel safe.

Daniel literally has been within Sean's vicinity, with no exceptions other than the occasional store trip where Sean, even more occasionally, goes alone. But even then, Daniel's at home, completely safe, with his own comforts and the knowledge Sean will be back soon.

With this, he has to go into a foreign environment, without Sean to help him _at all_ , surrounded by people he doesn't know and only has a small ability to get to know, and is expected to _do work_ while dealing with that.

That's fucking terrifying.

"Can I just please not go?" Daniel pleads yet another time to his brother.

"Dude, it's school. It's good for you. I know you're scared but-"

"I'm more than scared, Sean."

Sean sits down on the couch and looks at his watch. 7:32. They'll want to leave in about 20 minutes since school in _Puerto Lobos_ begins at 8 AM.

Sean pats the couch cushion, gesturing for Daniel to sit.

"What's scaring you so bad?" He asks gently, wrapping an arm around Daniel's tiny shoulders and pulling him in close.

"I don't know. I don't know anyone."

"Dude, everyone will love you! You're the coolest."

Daniel looks up at Sean with a half smile, like he's trying to say "That's really nice, but yeah it doesn't convince me". Sean furrows his brow.

"You'll probably be the coolest kid at school. I bet everyone will wanna know what America was like. You'll be super popular."

"Sean?" Daniel hesitates. "It might be weird to say this, but," he sighs. "I really don't want that. I just wanna be normal. I don't want people to think I'm special. For any reason."

Sean sighs, then frowns. "I get that. Sorry, dude. But I'll always think you're special."

"Why, cause of my power?" Daniel says irritably.

"No, not that," Sean pauses, then sort of shakes his head, as if to get back on topic. "A-anyway, is there anything I could do to make you less scared about school?"

"Can't you come with?"

"I can just drop you off. I can't go to school with you. Plus, you don't want that. People would make fun of you if your brother came with. They'd call you a baby."

"So I'm being a baby by wanting my brother around? Thanks, Sean," He says, pouting.

"No, no! No way," Sean wraps his arms around Daniel's head and holds him close. "People just like to judge. I just wouldn't want you to feel bad because of it."

"I'm gonna feel bad either way, Sean," He says. "Why can't you come with?"

"Dude, it's good for you to get some time away from me and with, like, other people. You need to make friends and stuff," Sean explains. "You're still a kid. Most kids your age don't just hang out with their brother all day and help them work."

"But I love you," Daniel says. "I wanna hang out and help you."

"I know," Sean says, ruffling Daniel's hair. "But this is important. You need it. Think of it this way: It'll make me happy to see you go to school and learn and make friends. Do it for me, please?"

"O-okay. I'll try," but Daniel's sullen expression hasn't changed much.

"Look," Sean says. "How about…" He grabs the little bracelet on his arm and stretches it off. "You wear this?"

"Your bracelet?" He asks, confused.

"Yeah, dude. Whenever you get scared, or miss me, or something, look at that. Remind yourself that I'm okay. Remind yourself that I love you and I'm proud of how far you've come, and that you've got so much further I know you can go. And I'll just keep being proud of you, every step of the way. I'm your brother, and I love you."

"Just tell yourself that if you need it, okay, _enano_?" 

# # #

Karen's truck pulls up to the curb at _Puerto Lobos'_ resident primary school. It's 7:55. Five minutes until...yeah.

"I can just stay in the car till 8, right?" Daniel asks.

"Of course," Sean says, putting his hand on Daniel's shoulder again. "And remember. I believe in you. You've got this. I know it's kinda scary, but...trust me, it'll be worth it. And by the way..." Sean puts on a sly grin. "When I went to the store yesterday, I noticed a Dairy Queen down the road. So how about this; we go get you a Dilly Bar after school? Sound good?"

Daniel smirks. "Cool."

"And don't forget, you have your phone with you. If you need to call me for any reason, you have it." Sean says seriously. "I'll also make sure that I'm free near noon so if you wanna talk at lunch, I'm definitely up for it."

"Okay," Daniel breathes. "Thanks, Sean." He pauses for a second. "Okay, I think I better get going now." He grabs his backpack from between the seats, slips it on, then holds out his arms for one last hug before his first day. Sean wraps his arms around Daniel as he does the same, and before pulling away, gives him a kiss on his forehead.

"Have a good day!" Sean says as Daniel opens the door on his side. "Love you!"

Daniel waves goodbye and says, "Love you too!" As he hops onto the curb and Sean pulls away.

He backs up a bit further and watches as the truck gets further and further away until Sean turns a corner and he can't watch anymore.

And now he's left by himself. 

He turns himself around from the empty road and towards the large school complex. It's going to be a big part of his life from now on.

Why does that feel so weird?

On top of the frightening aspects, it also just seems so weird.

School.

After running from everything, dealing with so much shit, getting hurt and manipulated and torn apart by the people, institutions, and public figures of society, now he's just integrating himself back in.

How can he pretend to be normal?

Other people's lives are only interrupted briefly, by singular events, a divorce, a loss, a...whatever. You learn to grow. To get over that. And most people his age haven't even dealt with something that serious.

Then there's him. Lost his father. Was violently ripped from him. Unwillingly murdered a police officer. Somehow achieved a supernatural power he could probably use to take over the world if he so pleased. At nine years old. And had to deal with all that while being homeless with only his brother there to save him the countless times Daniel knows he did.

And that's just the start of it.

He's not a kid anymore. But now everyone wants him to pretend to be one. 

That's different from at home. But Daniel's home life right now isn't much different from most kids. All his needs are met. Including and especially the emotional ones.

That's the difference. He can be normal, not just act it but _be_ it for some time because he doesn't feel afraid. He's got Sean who not only understands that he's gone through serious trauma and needs immense support, but also that he likes playing with his toys and getting cuddles from his brother like any other kid.

It's easy to be normal when you have someone who helps you be that way without pushing back what's abnormal about you.

But here? He has to act like he hasn't seen the worst cruelties of society and dealt with them firsthand.

Shit. Why did he have to consider all that before even stepping foot in the school?

Anyway. Time to stop dwelling. He walks up to the school main doors and starts pushing on them, to no avail, where he then notices the handle and pulls it open.

Once inside, he looks around sheepishly. There's an open area with a room on each side. On the right, the school administrative office and on the left, the school nurse. Up ahead, a door to the cafeteria which doubles as a gym, and the pathway right before breaks off into 2 lanes, classrooms littered on each side of each lane.

Taking his backpack off, he unzips the top pocket and pulls out a folded piece of paper. His schedule. He unravels it and looks at his list. Six classes. The first one; math. Shouldn't be that bad, it's just numbers, right? Sean's already taught him most of what he needs to know in the number department.

The classroom for his math is 406. Daniel stares down the halls. 

Okay. Classrooms in the 100s and 300s are on the further side from the main entrance, 100s on the right, 300s on the left. And then 200s and 400s are closer to the door, 200s on the right and 400s on the left. Then the official school offices are labeled in the 500s and the cafeteria/gymnasium is 601.

So Room 406 should be down the left lane, on the left, about halfway down. 

Daniel heads inside, noticing about half of the seats already filled with students.

"Hola!" A stout woman emerges from the corner. "¿Tú eres…?"

"Um," Daniel swallows. "Me llamo Daniel."

"¿Eres el nuevo estudiante?"

"...Sí." He pauses. "Yo...yo no hablo español muy bien."

"I see." The teacher says in English. "That's okay. Did they give you a class to help you learn?"

"Uhh...I think so. You speak English?" He says surprised.

"Yes. But not everyone does. Actually, most teachers don't. But that's alright. You're learning and you'll get around to it." She stops for a second. "Well, it's a pleasure to have you in class, Daniel. If there's anything I can do to help you out, let me know."

"Uh, where do I sit?"

"I'd prefer if you sit in the front or the back. Makes it easier to help you one on one. Other than that, take whatever seat you please," she says. "Oh, and-" She laughs in that way only stern middle-aged women do. "Sorry for not mentioning it sooner, gosh. I'm Mrs. Gomez. Or Señora Gomez. Whatever you prefer."

"Okay. Thanks."

That's good. At least one of his teachers speaks English. And odds are his Spanish Learning class - or whatever it's called, that teacher probably does as well or how could they help people who don't speak Spanish fluently?

Daniel decides to sit in the front. He walks over to a desk one away from the corner and places his backpack on the floor before sitting down.

Mrs. Gomez says something in Spanish that Daniel doesn't fully understand, but is pretty sure it's just that general notice teachers always give whenever a new student joins.

Luckily, she doesn't focus on him for too long and quickly moves into the math. Sean already taught him basic things about how to say numbers and things relating to them, so it's easy to understand. Mostly the same multiplication, division, and fractions he's done before.

Mrs. Gomez doesn't call on him for the whole class period, and he's not sure whether that's just a coincidence or she's just nice enough to not want to bring attention to him. Daniel likes to assume the latter.

The class concludes and Daniel turns in his worksheet with everyone else. He's about to line up at the door and wait for the bell, but Mrs. Gomez gestures him aside.

Probably just some more 'it's your first day' stuff he needs to know, right? Unless he did something wrong…

Luckily, he doesn't have time to dwell on those irrational worries.

"I wanted to know if you had any questions?" Mrs. Gomez starts. "I looked at your worksheet, I can tell you understand it pretty good, but let me know if you need any help, okay?"

"Okay." Daniel nods. "Yeah, uh, my brother taught me some stuff already, so I know, like...math stuff."

"That's nice. Just let me know if any questions do come up, okay?"

"Yeah, okay. Thanks, Mrs. Gomez."

Daniel turns towards the door and notices a few kids staring. 2 of them are looking in that "he's kinda interesting, isn't he?" way but there's another guy who looks...angry? Daniel's not sure he's angry at him in particular, but it does make him uneasy.

One of the non-angry looking kids asks him for his name and where he's from.

"Me llamo Daniel. Soy de…" He pauses for a second. Should he really tell them he's from the U.S.? Well, they probably know, right? He started school like a week later than everyone else and speaks with the teacher in English. There's no harm in telling. Still, it feels weird to reveal details about himself so freely after being in hiding for so long. "Estados Unidos. Mucho gusto."

Then, he adds again, "Yo no hablo español muy bien."

Then, the bell rings and everyone starts to pile out of the room, and on one hand, he kinda wanted to talk more and get to know people, but it's also extremely awkward when you know a total of only like 15 possible things you can say to someone, so at least it stopped that from occurring.

Daniel's next classes go by with, well, not no hiccups but not many. His second period is Spanish class, not, like, Spanish Learning class but actual Spanish class, like how American schools teach English. That one was really hard. He had no clue what was going on.

There were a few points where the teacher, Mr. Miron, looked at him and he thought maybe he asked a question but he didn't but Daniel was still trying to figure that out and-

Yeah. That was embarrassing. It really sucked. 

At one point he started to feel the anxiety of it all just get to him. He had all this going on around him that he didn't understand and it was weird and so panic inducing, he just couldn't take it, he felt like he had to jump out of his desk.

But then he reminded himself of Sean's bracelet. He kinda just stared at it at first, then he placed his hand on top of it and closed his eyes. He probably looked weird doing that. He hopes no one noticed.

Then he just reassured himself like Sean would.

_I love you, enano._

_I know you can do this._

_I believe in you._

_It's okay. You're safe. Calm down...it's alright. I promise it's okay._

_You trust me, right?_

"Yes," Daniel accidentally whispers out loud to the Sean in his mind, which at first made him feel embarrassed but thankfully, looking around, he realizes either no one noticed or no one cared. He shuts his eyes again.

_Then I'm telling you it's okay. You're safe. I promise you._

"I believe you, Sean," Daniel says, this time only in his head.

_I'm your brother and I love you, enano. You got this._

"I love you too, Sean."

And that really helped. It was like a weight being lifted off his shoulders, but a purely emotional one. Spanish was still the worst though, but he kept reminding himself how much Sean believes in him and it became more of a "well, this sucks right now" kind of thing than a "this is really bad how am I gonna deal with this" kind of thing.

After Spanish, he had Music, which was actually the best. All they really did was sing and play instruments, which isn't exactly his thing, but when it's something more physical than social like that, it makes it easy.

It's also easier because the words that come up on the screen to sing are all in writing. It's a lot easier to interpret that way.

His fourth class and last before lunch was his Spanish Learning Center, where he and a small group of other kids who don't fluently speak it are helped with learning it. It's probably his best class. Easiest to understand, least amount of other students, and pretty calm compared to everything else.

And then it's time for lunch.

The cafeteria isn't too stressful, there are lots of students coming and going and a lot of talking Daniel doesn't understand, but Sean packed him his own lunch so he doesn't have to wait in line and can just go and sit down.

The tables in the cafeteria are these weird foldable tables with benches connected to them and wheels for easy transportation. Since it's also used for gym class, they have to be able to set up and remove the cafeteria stuff easily.

Daniel heads to one of the tables in the corner to eat. Hopefully no one will come over to sit.

Opening his lunchbox, he finds a note from Sean:

_Hey enano! Hope your day's going well. If you wanna call and have a chat, I'm open right now. Love you!_

Oh yeah. He almost forgot. Hell yeah he's gonna call Sean. He quickly pulls out his phone and dials Sean's number while starting on lunch.

"Hello?" He hears Sean's voice, and it instantly dissolves whatever anxiety was present.

"Hey Sean!" Daniel greets him enthusiastically. "How are you doing at the shop?"

"It's been going well. You know. The usual stuff. Had 2 dudes come in earlier to get their car fixed," Sean says. "Been a pretty average day. Have you been doing well at school?"

"Uh, yeah, it's been...cool. I had Math, Spanish, Music, and then, uh...Spanish Learning today."

"Have you felt scared at all?"

"Uh, yeah. But not too bad. I just reminded myself of the bracelet and thought about what you said and that really helped me calm down."

There's a short silence, and it gives off that weird kind of feeling when you just intuitively know the thing you just said made the other person really happy even before they say anything.

"That's great, _enano_!" Sean yells excitedly. "I'm glad to hear that."

Sean & Daniel continue to discuss Daniel's school day, Sean's boredom at home, and their plans after school and Daniel signs off promising to give Sean "the biggest hug ever. EVER." When he gets let out.

"So you better be ready for _that,_ " Daniel says confidently.

"Not if I give you the biggest hug first," Sean says lovingly. 

"No way! The hug is mine to give." 

Sean laughs. "Alright, _enano._ I'll hold you to it, alright?" 

"Okay." Daniel says, then softly adds, "You'll hold me in general, too, right?" 

"You can bet on it." 

"Cool," Daniel says. "Ok, lunch is gonna end soon, so I need to go." 

"Alright. See you after school, okay? I love you, _enano_." 

"Love you too! Bye, Sean." 

"Bye, Daniel." 

"Wait! Actually…" Daniel starts shyly. "Can we say 'I love you' one more time, please?" 

"Okay. Sure. I love you, Daniel," Sean says, just as full of conviction as the first time. 

"I love you too, Sean. Okay," he laughs. "Now, bye." 

"See you later, _enano!_ " 

And then he hangs up. 

It's crazy how no matter what Sean says it can always sound so full of love. 

Like, Sean could say "I like to eat trees" and if he was speaking to Daniel it would somehow be the most comforting brotherly sounding thing in the world. 

It was nice to get that extra bit of reassurance in the middle of the day. He's definitely had some struggles and getting to speak to him gave him a lot of encouragement to close out the day strong. 

After lunch he has gym, which honestly, he never liked. Occasionally they'd have some kind of activity he actually enjoys, but it was always a mostly annoying class. At least it's not very confusing to understand. 

His final class of the day is science, which is...yeah. He has absolutely no idea what was going on in that class. It was really stressful. It's a lot of concepts uncommon in general language so he didn't understand at least ninety percent of what the teacher was saying. 

But at least the day is over. For a first day at school it was about...average. Could've been better, but also could've been way worse. 

He just can't wait to see Sean. It's been like 7 hours. That's the longest he's gone without him in _months_. He just wants to be in the safety of his brother's arms again. 

As Daniel swings the large school door open and piles out with the other kids, he sees his big brother leaned up against his truck waiting for him at the curb. 

Daniel quickly starts pushing through the crowd trying to get to Sean, and once free he starts bolting to him. 

Sean only has a few seconds to react before Daniel literally jumps straight into his arms. Sean stumbles a bit but thankfully doesn't lose his balance as he wraps his arms around his little brother and holds him there. 

Daniel, still in Sean's arms, softly rests his head on Sean's shoulder and finally greets him with, "Hey, Sean." 

"Hey, _enano._ You have a good day?" 

"Yeah. Well, I mean, it was okay." 

"You wanna talk about it?" Sean asks, putting Daniel down and opening the door of the truck. 

"Yeah, alright," Daniel says, hopping onto the seat as Sean heads around to the other side. 

Sean starts pulling the truck out, and as promised, gets on the highway south to the nearest Dairy Queen, bringing up his phone and shuffling his Spotify playlist to "A Song To Pass The Time" by Bright Eyes. 

"So how was it? Your first day." Sean asks after a brief silence. 

"It was fine. I have a class that's supposed to help me learn Spanish, but I don't know how much that'll help." He says, trying to be nonchalant. 

"Well, I can still teach you, right?" Sean softly squeezes Daniel's shoulder. "It'll be fine." 

"Yeah," Daniel says. "I guess." He stops for a second. "A-anyway, my other classes were fine. I didn't really understand some stuff, but it wasn't too bad." 

"How were the teachers?" 

"Uh...fine. Some of them were really cool. Though some of them were kinda...not." 

"I'm sure as you get to know them better they'll, uh...accommodate you more." 

"I hope." 

Sean looks over at Daniel, who still seems a little anxious about it. 

"Don't worry, _enano_. The first day's always the hardest. It'll get better. Promise." 

"Thanks, Sean," Daniel says matter-of-factly. 

Sean pulls into the drive thru and sets in behind another car. 

"What flavour do you want, dude? Cherry like back home or…?" 

"Yeah, I'll just get cherry. Are you getting something?" 

"No," Sean says. "I don't wanna spend the money." 

"Then why am I getting something?" Daniel flexes his eyebrows perplexedly. 

"Well, it's your first day at school here, so...you deserve it," Sean smiles. 

"And you don't for working super hard?" Daniel laughs. 

"It's fine, dude. Plus I'd have to hold it while driving." 

"I can hold it." 

"No, dude, really, it's fine. I never really cared for them anyway," Sean says. "But I knew you did so I wanted to, you know, reward you for being strong with school and stuff." 

"Okay," Daniel says, satisfied with the answer. He beams at Sean in the signature "just when I thought my big brother couldn't be a better brother than he already was" look. 

Sean orders a cherry Dilly Bar over the intercom and hands it to Daniel, who's smile could make even the most cold hearted of us warm, and he digs right into it. 

_# # #_

Later that night, when Sean & Daniel are just heading to bed, Daniel has something to ask Sean. 

"Hey, uh, Sean? Daniel says, cuddled up close in his adorable Hawt Dawg Man themed pajamas. 

"Yeah, buddy?" Sean says lovingly, looking down at his little bro. 

"Uh, this might be a weird question," Daniel says. "But this morning, you said you'd always think I'm special, but not cause of my power?" 

Oh, yeah, that," Sean says heartfully. "I forgot. What I was gonna say is," and as he says this, he subtly starts pulling Daniel closer, "I'll always think you're special, cause...you're my brother, you know? You're the best little bro I could ask for. I think you're special just because like...you are. At least to me." 

Daniel burrows completely into Sean's arms. "Thanks, Sean. I think you're special in that way too. The best brother ever! That's you." 

"Aw, thanks, dude," Sean says, wrapping his arms comfortingly around Daniel's head. "I know school stuff is kinda scary, but I'll still be here to help you. Promise. I love you." 

"I love you too. Thanks, Sean. For everything." 

"Thank you too." 

"For what?" Daniel asks strangely. 

"For making me a better brother. For--being there for me and shit." 

"Dude," Daniel says. "It's you who made _me_ a better brother and was there for me. I didn't...do so much." 

"Daniel," Sean says in a painfully loving way. "Yeah you did, okay? You're awesome. You helped me deal with so much. I probably would've given up without you." 

"No way! You're so strong, I don't think anything could make you give up." 

"Have you ever thought that the reason I was so strong was because I had to be to protect you?" Sean asks. "I couldn't let you get hurt, you know?" 

Daniel goes silent. 

"Like--think of it this way; you know how you used my bracelet to help you calm down today? And keep yourself grounded?" Sean says. "You've done that to help me a lot too. And you still do." 

"I...never thought of it that way. That's actually really nice," Daniel pauses for a bit and thinks over his words, and continues with lots of excitement in his voice. "Sometimes I feel bad because you help me stay calm and stuff so much and I wish I could help you like that, but I didn't realize, uh…" 

"That you already do?" Sean smiles gently. 

"Yeah. That's so cool." 

"Well, I guess it fits all the other cool things about my super cool brother!" Sean says enthusiastically. 

"As if. You're the coolest Diaz brother." 

"Debatable." 

Daniel laughs. "No you are and you will accept it!" 

"Ok, ok, night Sean doesn't have the energy morning Sean would have to argue about this," he chuckles. 

Daniel clutched his arms tighter around Sean's shoulders and Sean holds him there, giving him tons of kisses on his head. 

The Diaz brothers fall asleep that way, still cuddled up so preciously and warmly, where anyone could easily tell both of them love their brother more than anything else in the world. 


End file.
